


I'll Fight Anyone For You

by l3lackbird



Category: I Am Not Okay with This (TV 2020), The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, Canon Compliant, Crossover, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Spoliers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-29
Updated: 2020-02-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:02:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22959136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/l3lackbird/pseuds/l3lackbird
Summary: Stanley Barber remembers when he was little and his father wasn’t as big of an asshole, his family would go to the creek bordering the edge of town during the early summer. His mother would sit in the shade with her brimmed hat and giggle as his father and him would race down the slope towards the creek. At the last second, his father would pick him up bridal style and chuck him into the running stream. It was always freezing cold, it would hit like a shock to his system, and while he hasn’t gone to that creek in years, he knows right now he’s feeling the same way as he did when he hit the water.
Relationships: Stanley Barber & Sydney Novak
Comments: 5
Kudos: 65





	I'll Fight Anyone For You

Stanley Barber remembers when he was little and his father wasn’t as big of an asshole, his family would go to the creek bordering the edge of town during the early summer. His mother would sit in the shade with her brimmed hat and giggle as his father and him would race down the slope towards the water. At the last second, his father would pick him up bridal style and chuck him into the running stream. It was always freezing cold, it would hit like a shock to his system, and while he hasn’t gone to that creek in years, he knows right now he’s feeling the same way as he did when he hit the water. 

Brad’s body lays there as if it’s some art exhibit piece, everyone creating a wide berth around it except for Dina. Loving, sweet, Dina shuddering in shaky breaths as she sits on her knees in front of a murder victim. Because that’s what he is, isn’t he? A murder victim? But Syd would never do that. She’s as rageful as blistering heat in late summer and as bittersweet as frostbite in the winter, but she would never purposely hurt someone. 

_ Except for that one time _ , a little traitorous part in him mentions, but he outright ignores it. She wasn’t going to actually hit him with those bowling balls, she just didn’t have control then, or now. Especially not now. 

His eyes catch onto the diary, but as he’s shifting up it disappears from underneath the scrambles of the student body. No. No, shit. His ears are ringing and his head pounds out a nice tune to the drum beats of  _ Fly _ by Bloodwitch. He tastes the metallic sting of blood on his tongue, figures he either bit it or it’s mirroring the large pool of dark crimson in front of him. 

Stan forces himself up and stands, ignoring whenever someone slams into him, torn between comforting Dina and going after Syd. He doesn’t need to even look around to know she’s not there anymore. Syd runs from things as quickly as the Flash, she runs as fast as her legs can carry her, as if she’s running from the end of the world, and he can only hope to catch up. 

His choice is decided when in his peripheral, he sees the edge of a shadowy man-- just like the blur on the camera that Syd pointed out only days ago. He disappears when Stan turns his head. Has it not even been a month since this all started? He has to ignore thinking about that too, just as he ignores thinking about the fact that Syd literally bursted a man’s head open and she’s only seventeen like him. 

He has to save her. Or, or warn her. She can use her powers to throw the shadowy man into the sky. At the moon, maybe. 

Stan turns on his heel, leaving behind Dina and the mess of Brad, the murder, his despairing thoughts, and rushes out. He elbows people in the ribs, shoves his way through to the front. His long legs are good for something as he runs out on the street, catching sight of the shadowy man once more under a streetlight before he disappears again, and he starts to sprint down the cracked road. 

The siren of the police scare him, only because he doesn’t want Syd to go to jail, but he forces that anxiety down to his legs. His crisp shoes pound on the pavement. His breathing comes in short, crisp breaths. As frustrating as it is, he has to follow the blurry outline of the man since he has no idea where Syd even went too. 

He should’ve been faster on his feet, should’ve dodged that punch, should’ve tackled Brad to the ground. Should’ve not fallen for Syd. Should’ve done a lot of things. He can do this though, he can run to her and hey, his father always wanted him to be an athlete. 

When he sees the creepy, stalkery man go into the forest, he has a clear idea where Syd is now. He sprints as fast as he could through the dead leaves and overturned logs. The man may be following her, but Stanley has lived in this boring old town his whole life and he knows every marker like the records in his living room. He knows where she exactly has retreated too and briefly worries that she’ll jump.

_ Her dad-  _ He cuts himself off as he hits it, and starts to climb up the latter with frantic speeds. His grip is wobbling and his feet slide on the wooden bars, but that’s because his head is still throbbing and his coordination is shit to begin with. It’s funny, really, he’s worked at a bowling alley for months and he’s never gotten a strike. He’s never even gotten a par. 

“Syd!” Stan yells through the cold biting wind when he gets to the top of this hunk of rotting wood. He sees her bloody gown and dark auburn hair, sprinkled with soggy red bits from Brad. She turns, her eyes widening in surprise, and she opens her mouth to say something but it snaps close the same moment he hears something behind him. Or. Or someone..   
  
He feels the metal barrel of a gun softly push into the small part of his back, a nice prod, a friendly way to say you’re going to die today. 

“Run, Syd!” He yells, even though there’s nowhere for her to go. He’s blocking the way down with his stupid body that always gets in the way of things. “I’m not letting you hurt her,” he spits, shifting so he’s facing the man and finally, finally getting a good look at this stalker. After seeing Brad, he knows for sure that he doesn’t want to die. He wants to live. But if it means saving Syd, he’d take a bullet for her anyday.

The man is a lot older than he expected, somewhere around late fifties with a neatly trimmed white beard and mustache. He’s stepping out not from a shadow, but from a hazy light blue thing. A portal? The man’s expression is grim, hard lines set in determination, hazel eyes narrowed into annoyed slits at Stanley’s tomfoolery. 

“Get out of my way,” the man states, with bone tingling certainty. Stan feels as if the man knows that he could easily push him to the side, with Stan weighing less than 200 pounds and being a lanky string-bean. When Stanley refuses to budge, his feet sticking to the floor as if he’s a mouse on a sticky trap, the man sighs a long suffering sigh. “Let’s begin.” 

“Get away from him.” Syd spits, her voice full of venom and resentment, but- but he can tell those are just cover-ups. She’s afraid. Her voice gets a little higher pitched at the end of her sentence and that’s how he can tell. She’s downright terrified. Well, that makes two of them. 

The man shifts his grip on the long grey rifle he’s got carrying in his arms before throwing it over the side of this rickety building. There’s a sudden silence as it hits the leafy ground below. Stan doesn’t know what to do now, what to say, so he goes with his gut and puts up closed fists. He  _ so _ can’t take this man in a fight. He’ll try though.

“I’m not here to fight,” the man replies, rolling his eyes like he’s a teenager instead of an older grown up man. He’s got to be old enough to have grandchildren, Stan muses to himself. “I’m here to talk. I was sent here to kill you by my employers, but… you’re special. I know this was a test I failed, but Dolores would be happy I’m not killing a teenager. She’s sentimental like that.”   
  
The man pushes past Stanley, just like he knew he would, and stands in front of Syd. He stuffs his hands in his grey coat pockets, and introduces himself so they have a name to the face of a stalker. Of a supposed murderer? The situation weighs heavy in the air.    
  
“My name is Five Hargreeves and-”   
  
“Like the Umbrella Academy?” Stanley cuts in quickly, a connection finally forming in his head. Oh, it makes so much sense. The sudden appearing and disappearing. The tinge of blue surrounding him when he stepped from the portal. The fucking portal. Syd has been stalked by  _ The Boy.  _ Five Hargreeves himself!    
  
“Everyone thought you were dead, like it was a power mishap like your brother, but you’re actually standing here. What happened? Who are your employers and why do they want you to kill Syd? Why are you so old? Like, it’s really old, but not  _ that  _ old,” He rambles, his mind trying to comprehend and form more connections, create an idea on what’s actually going on. 

“Stan,” Syd hisses, with that look of hers that means  _ Shut up.  _ Five’s frowning now, either because of Stanley’s muttering or how the building is now rumbling oh shit that’s not good.   
  
“I’m not killing you, but this guy? You’re going to die tonight if you don’t shut up,” Five mutters under his breath, but the two other people can clearly still hear him. On instinct, Stan’s mouth shuts close so quickly his teeth click together. 

Yeah, Stanley Barber is downright terrified and traumatized, but now he’s pretty excited too.


End file.
